Don't Open Your Eyes
by ThePorcelainLady
Summary: Levi is running through a dark winter forest. He is dragging two children with him, Eren and Mikasa. Both children are six years old. Both children are blindfolded. Both children –and himself- are soaked with blood from head to toe. Levi has only one goal: to stay alive. To do so he must cross the mad forest, he must get to the boat. Most importantly, he must not open his eyes.
1. Chapter 1: Run

Author's note: Hey there! Thanks for stopping by and deciding to give my story a try :). This is an Attack on Titan fic using characters from the anime/manga, but is set in the world of the novel "Bird Box" by Josh Mallerman. Thus: Bird Box AU. I'm setting myself a deadline for each chapter and will try to update at the beginning of each month. I'll try my best to stick to that.

**The sentences in Italics and between quotation marks are for Levi's thoughts. Those only in italics are also his thoughts but its someone else's voice if that makes any sense.**

Before you start, please keep in mind that although this story leans more towards psychological horror/thriller than a full blown slasher, this story _does_ **contain a little bit of blood every** once and a while (since...you know, its set in a world where people are going crazy and killing each other?). It also contains** foul language** (Levi, anyone?), and** lots and lots of character death** (though I'm sure us AOT fans have gotten used to that already?).

If you're alright with all that, awesome!

Continue to chapter 1. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or any of its characters. I also don't own the amazing novel Bird Box (but I do have a copy of it which I keep by my bed and read over again every two days or so).

* * *

Chapter 1

Levi saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He shut it tightly, hoping beyond hope that it was just a passing tree branch or a retarded bird flying too close to the ground. His other eye instinctively squinted, allowing only a fine line of vision to remain among the surrounding blindness.

He wished he could use his hands to shield his peripheral vision, and further diminish the chances of seeing one of the things they were running from. But he couldn't. Both his hands were occupied, firmly gripping two tiny wrists as he dashed through the woods.

There were only three of them left after what had happened at the house. Levi, the boy, and his sister. Both children were six years old, both children were blindfolded, both children -and himself- were soaked in blood from head to toe.

The three had been running for hours. At least, that's what his body kept telling him -the ache in his calves, the tightening of his chest with every breath, the burning thirst. Every single fiber seemed to be pleading him to stop. But they couldn't stop. Not now.

_Perhaps not ever._

Levi mostly worried about the children. He wondered how they were holding out as he dragged them against the cutting winter air, through the slush of mud and leaves. He knew they were far beyond tired. They had reached the point where even the adrenaline that had exploded through all their bodies after what happened back the house couldn't keep them from stumbling every few seconds. Yet while the children had long stopped running, Levi's feet still pounded the ground as he raced between the trees. It was a lot of effort to both continue running with so little rest, and pull the weights of two other humans –no matter how little. Levi felt like he was dragging two sand stuffed rag dolls along with him.

But that was alright, he kept telling himself over and over again.

As long as they were still moving, everything was alright.

It didn't matter if all three of them were contributing to their motion or if he had to heave their weights by himself.

"My eyes burn," The girl sobbed. "I want to take it off."

"Do NOT take the blind fold off, girl," Levi snapped. The faint panting he heard in his voice angered him. It reminded him of how human his body was. How weak. He turned his frustration to the girl. "Maybe your eyes wouldn't burn if you stopped crying."

"I want to go back…why can't we go back?" She whimpered, "I want to go back to the house."

Levi didn't answer. He just kept dragging them forward.  
_Just keep moving and everything will be fine…  
_  
The problem was, he wasn't sure even he could keep going. His own body was beginning to warn him. Levi's legs quivered with exhaustion at times, the muscles in them twitching like the walls of a building about to collapse. The weight of the two children, dangling pendulums from each of his arms, certainly wasn't helping. The signs his body was sending frightened him. They formed a voice that told him he had to do something unspeakable. It told him they had to stop.

Then there was the girl's incessant whining…  
Why couldn't she be like the boy? Sullen, quiet, and unlike his usual loud and defiant self? Part of him pitied her. She was just a kid. She was scared, he knew that. Still, for some strange reason, her voice pulled at whatever was left of his mind in different directions. It made him want to snatch the blindfolds off both the children's eyes, open his own eyes wide, and go searching for the thing that made people go insane for seemingly no reason.  
_'No. No. No. No. No. You're just tired. Very tired. Tired enough to be thinking about killing yourself and the two people you've been protecting for the past year.'__  
__ Just keep moving.__  
__ The tiredness will go away.__  
__ The girl will eventually shut up.__  
__ Everything will be alright.__  
__ Just keep moving._

"Where are we going anyway?" The boy mumbled.

_'So much for sullen and quiet…'_

"You'll know when we get there." Levi said.

"You mean _you'll _know when we get there, right?"

"I swear," Levi drew in a breath, "One more word out of either of you, and I will dump both of your sorry asses here and walk away."

"We can make it on our own, old man," The boy retorted, "We always have, even before meeting _you_."

"I don't want to be left alone," The girl's grip tightened around Levi's jacket sleeve "I want to go back to the house."

"Then shut up, and keep moving."

"I never said I didn't want to be left alone," The boy began.

"What the fuck did I just say?" Levi panted "Shut up, and keep moving you lazy, ungrateful slo-"

A scream sounded from a direction Levi couldn't make out. The fear he had been trying to numb for the past year all came bubbling up through his throat like blood. He shut both his eyes and froze, the sudden halt lurching both children forward. The girl shrieked as Levi pulled them both back by their arms, her voice mixed with another scream that sounded higher pitched…closer. Levi crouched down, pressing a hand against each child's shoulder telling them to follow suit.

"What was that?" The girl whimpered.

"Shhh!" Levi snapped.

He wished he knew what it was. The complete blindness was certainly not appreciated. Levi could barely see anything before, yet there was something about his eyes being open that gave him a false sense of security, of power. As though the simple fact he could see -no matter how little- was a weapon, something he could use against this terrifying new world. He didn't want to have to rely on his other senses. They were more easily morphed by fear, unreliable.

_'You could always open your eyes. Open them and see everything crystal clear. You could even come across one of the creatures and look at them too, boy won't that  
be fun?'_  
Levi shook his head. Sight was not an option, and whatever couldn't be used was to be dropped at once and replaced with an alternative. There wasn't any time to whine.

_Listen. Focus all your attention on what your ears 'see'. Listen_.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence -only broken by the girl's shaky breaths, and their three hearts thundering in unison- another scream ripped through the air. It sounded like a woman. An insane woman screaming at the sky. Red flashed through Levi's mind. For a change, it wasn't the red of blood. Not the kind dripping from necks twisted at horrifying angles, or that wrapping the person like ribbons as rope cut through flesh and bone. It was an orange red. That of fire, a woman's hair. He couldn't remember her name in his current state, but what he did remember was not seeing her body with the others'. She probably hadn't seen his or the children's bodies. She probably knew they were alive and was out to put an end to that.  
_  
Get up. You've stopped moving for too long. Just get up and start running again_.

Every fiber in Levi's body begged him to ignore that voice. He did. Not for rest, but simply for the fact that, if that psycho bitch was still alive, he didn't want to end up running in her direction. Blind. He didn't want to run straight to the edge of her axe, or knife, or gun, or _fingers_, blind.  
Still maybe he was being paranoid. If she had survive the incident at the house, chances were she had still seen one of the creatures and was now wandering the woods a madwoman digging her own eyes out-

Another scream sounded. Levi dropped his hand from the boy's shoulder to his boot. He felt for the handle of the knife he had pulled out of Mike's neck before they left the house. It was there, tucked in the tight outer pocket, probably still caked with Mike's blood.  
Could he do it? Could he stab her enough times to take her down? Would his arms listen to him when he told them to pull out the knife and plunge it in again?  
_  
'Of course you can kill her. You killed three men twice her size. Don't you start acting all humane now. If you don't kill her, she'll kill you and the brats'__  
__ You've been down for five minutes, Levi. Five. You have to get up now and switch direction. Whenever you hear a voice, just switch direction. Don't stop._  
Levi shook the other voice from his head, and tried to focus on the screaming creature.

"It's a fox," The boy said so suddenly that Levi's shoulder twitched.

"What?" Levi whispered, barely loud enough for himself to hear.

"It's just a fox. I know. Hannes used to take me hunting. They scream like that," The boy's voice was monotone but confident "Hannes said they screamed like women."

"And how did 'Hannes' know it wasn't an actual woman screaming?" Levi hissed.  
Whatever it was screamed again. It was shriller. More importantly, it sounded louder, like the thing was standing a few feet away from them. Levi tightened his grip around the knife's handle.

"You can hear the whine at the end," The boy replied, "It just sounds like a woman screaming when you're scared. If you're calm you can hear the whine come out at the end."  
_  
Push the fear back down. Don't let it play with your senses. Listen.__  
_  
There was another scream. It wasn't coming from behind them. He thought he heard it coming from a spot in front of where they were crouching. Somewhere to their left?  
_Just get up, Levi. For God's sake! It's been seven minutes now!_

Another scream hit his ears, but it sounded farther, and it was mixed with the furious crunching of leaves as the thing moved. Levi brought the knife up, holding the arm carrying it in midair and pointing its tip towards where he though the sounds were centered. He wrapped his other arm around the children to make sure neither of them would get separated from him.

The screaming stopped, though the rattling of the leaves didn't.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Closer then farther. Closer then farther. It was a never ending loop, like it was jumping back and forth, unsure whether or not to attack.

"Can you hear it? It's growling like a puppy!" The boy said, seemingly excited that he got it right all along "Levi can you hear it?"

"Shut up and let me listen!"

Levi could certainly hear it growling. It just doesn't sound like any dog growling he had ever heard. It sounded more like gargling, a man chocking on his life after getting stabbed in the throat.

Like Mike.

"It sounds scary," The girl tugged on Levi's shirt, and sniffled, "I want to go back to the house."

Levi tightened his grip around the two children and tried to clear his mind, silence the thoughts in his head that were getting far too loud for his liking. The growling had stopped, but the rattling of the leaves seemed to have gotten louder thought not closer. Every tendon in Levi's body tensed as his brain scrambled for an explanation to the sounds his ears were delivering. The thing hissed every once and a while, then the crunching rattling sound continued, sounding even more furious than ever before.

What was it doing? Was it circling them? No, the sound was stuck at the same spot. He couldn't just take random action without having a plan. He couldn't make a plan without knowing exactly what that thing was up to.  
_  
'Erwin would've known what to do. He would've been out of here in ten minutes tops.'_

Levi swallowed. This wasn't the time to grieve. It certainly wasn't the time to try to be fucking inspired by a dead man. He needed to act, right now. No matter what that thing was, or what it was doing, Levi would lunge at it and stab it until he thought it was dead.

The boy struggled in his grip a bit, his small arms sliding under the one Levi had wrapped around him and his sister.

"Stop squirming, boy!" Levi hissed.

"It's chewing its own leg off," The boy muttered, his voice dripping with both surprise and horror "The fox is chewing its leg off."

"How the fuck would you know that?" Levi snapped "Did 'Hannes' teach you what a fox chewing its leg off sound like?"

"I can see it…It's chewing its leg off."  
_  
See? How can the boy SEE?!_

Levi reached his other hand towards the boy's face. After much resistance he managed to touch the boy's eyelids. They didn't even flutter, remaining defiantly and widely…apart._  
_

"What's _that_?" the boy said, and Levi heard the whole world shatter.

He didn't feel himself fumble and readjust the boy's blindfold, holding him tightly by the back of it. He didn't hear himself screaming at the girl to grab onto his jacket and start running because both his hands were full. He didn't see the fox cut off the leg it was chewing on and move on to another.

All Levi felt was air, as sharp as a thousand knives, cut through his face as he began to run with renowned vigor. The 'fox' screamed after them, releasing a sound so harrow Levi knew he'd be hearing it in his nightmares for the next couple of weeks.  
_  
That's what happens when you stop. _Erwin's voice sounded through his ears._ That's why you should keep going no matter what._

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! All types of comments and reviews are welcome.

This chapter is pretty short because it's kind of an intro. The second chapter will be a lot longer, and I'll probably upload it sometime next week (Would have uploaded it sooner but I have an awesome exam this Sunday. Ain't Medical School fun?). So...till the next week!

Also, I'd like to thank my beta IirieCadence who helped me tidy up a couple of disastrous sentences lol.


	2. Past 1: Actualization

Notes:

Hey there again!  
First I would like to say that I'M SO INCREDIBLY SORRY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOATHE MY VERY EXISTENCE FOR DELAYING THIS DUCK MOTHERING CHAPTER FOR...FOR FOUR MONTHS?! But I've gone through a ship ton of horrible, horrible stuff these past couple of months that have made me, again, loathe my very existence and have reduced me to a flopping fish with no purpose whatsoever.  
I actually considered giving up on this story (Not because of the cringe-worthy "There aren't enough comments..." excuse, but mainly because I felt too crappy to even attempt to finish it. But then I get an email that someone gave this a Kudos or commented or even bookmarked it and I just...felt like an even crappier person for ever thinking to abandon something people might actually be interested in...  
Anyway...  
I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I'd say its pretty long, and I'm hoping all other "Past" chapters will be too!  
Also...I'm uploading another "Present" chapter to keep things interesting (And also as a desperate attempt to get people to forgive me...please?).

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

P.S: Past is before what happened at "the house", and Present is after. In case you were wondering...  
P.P.S: There's a slight, subtle Game of Thrones spoiler before Levi meets Walker...

* * *

Chapter 2

Part 1: Actualization

When Levi Ackerman was five years old, his uncle, Kenny, told him he'd been born without fingers. Kenny said Levi's real hands simply ended in two smooth stubs, without a digit to be seen. And when five year old Levi, as skeptical then as he would ever be, asked where the fingers he had now had come from if he hadn't been born with them, Kenny told him he'd felt sorry for his fingerless nephew. That's why, he'd said, he'd replaced the missing fingers with his sister's -Levi's mother's- sewing needles. That was supposedly why Levi had such thin, long fingers.

In the months before his mother found out about her brother's macabre bedtime stories, and furiously put an end to them, Levi had truly believed his fingers were sewing needles. For months he'd hold his tiny hands under the single light bulb illuminating the browning living room to see if the light would pass through his paper pale skin and show the underlying metal of the needles. For months he'd tap his fingers against every surface he came across to hear the sound they made. The cracking plaster of the walls, the creaking staircase leading to the bedroom he and his mother shared, the fading ceramic tiles of their small Kitchen. Anything he could get his hands on.

He'd tap for hours. It would drive his uncle crazy; something his mother thought was fitting punishment for scaring her only son.

But Levi had never really been scared. He'd secretly enjoyed the idea of having needles for fingers. It made him feel special. A lot more special than some of the kids at kindergarten who would make fun of him for having _droopy_ _eyes_. Or those he'd later meet at school who called him short. Or those he'd meet many years after that in art school with their hundreds of euros worth of paints, and pens, and drawing books, and tablets.

Sometimes Levi suspected that that special feeling was the reason a part of him would never cease to believe in his uncle's story. Because even now, fifteen years later, Levi still sometimes believed his fingers were needles. At times when his heart would beat too hard and his hands wouldn't stop sweating, he still liked to tap them against hard surfaces the way he did when he was young. It was as though the synchronized sound they made with each tap had the ability to guide his heart back to a normal rhythm.

Tack.

Tack.

Tack.

"Could you stop doing that?" Levi's head jerked upwards.

For less than a second his mind clung to the foggy image of his childhood, and he couldn't exactly remember where he was standing at the present time. But everything soon came back to him once he looked towards the source of the voice; a young, pale eyed man standing just a few steps away.

The man's name was Farlan Church. The cofounder of The Two Man Freakshow –the founder being Levi- as the other kids in their neighborhood liked to say behind their backs when they were younger. Because the two were practically inseparable since they'd met, that fateful day at the start of kindergarten. Wherever Levi would go, Farlan would go and vice versa. The loud-mouthed dork and his silent, endlessly brooding friend. The Two Man Freakshow. They'd been together through lost baby teeth and playground fights and all-nighters before that biology test they had the next day and through heartbreak and university applications. Levi had been there when Farlan's parents had died not too far apart from each other, and Farlan had been there when Levi's mother had her 'accident' two years ago. So them ending up working at the same drab, old teashop called Teeblatter in Friedrichshain, Berlin, hadn't really come as a huge surprise to anyone.

"Doing what?" Levi muttered.

"Tapping your fingers on the counter," Farlan said, "You're making _me _nervous. It sounds like a bomb is about to explode"

"Or the Teke-Teke monster," a high pitched voice rang from next to one of the two large display windows at the end of the store opposite Levi and Farlan. Levi knew who it was without even looking at her. Isabel Magnolia; the most recent addition to Teeblatter's staff -having only taken up the job for some college project she wouldn't stop whining about during her first couple of days at the shop.

Isabel stretched her arms forward, with her fingers curved in the shape of claws, then acted as though she were using them to slowly drag herself forward towards Levi "Tick tack, tick tack, tick tack"

"Tch," Levi tilted his head towards Farlan, "I'm not the one who looks like they just crawled out of the basement".

Wherever Farlan had been prior to speaking with Levi must have been plucked out of one of the latter's nightmares. Farlan looked as though an ancient attic exploded in his face.

The green apron they wore as part of their 'uniform' had done nothing to shield Farlan or his clothes from the armies of dust bunnies that gnawed at his clothes. Strings of dust clung to almost every inch of him, from the matt black boots he loved so much to his very eyes.

Farlan scowled at him, then, without removing his eyes from Levi, began to smack at his clothes in an attempt to remove whatever filth clung to them. Little did he know that it wasn't just his clothes that looked like he'd attempted to wipe the attic floor with them that morning. His hair was also rumpled; strands of it poked in random directions.

When he caught a glimpse of the door Farlan stood beside, Levi understood exactly why his coworker looked the way he did. The rackety thing led to a horribly filthy, claustrophobic storage room Levi had only dared step into once in the entire three years he spent working at the teashop. The sight of Farlan's disheveled state told him choosing to stay of away had definitely been the right choice.

"Whoa, Farlan," Isabel said, "How many demons did you exorcise in there? Hope it was worth ending up looking like that…"

"Shut up," Farlan snapped, "What the hell was I supposed to do? Bernhard told us to tidy up the storage room weeks ago, and neither of you will go anywhere near it."

"You cleaned the storage room?" Levi scoffed, "You can barely wipe a spilled cup of tea."

"You're more than welcome to go in there and work your magic, your grace."

Levi looked down at the spotless marble top of the counter he stood behind. If he was ever willing to admit he was talented at something, that thing would be cleaning. It was a talent he took great pride in. Nothing, not even the countless paintings he'd spent months on and were now gathering dust in the basement, made his chest swell with pride like examining the results of his rigorous cleaning rituals. He felt the same glow of happiness now as he let his eyes roam around the small teashop.

He'd spent the entire morning, from the minute he'd stepped into the shop at 6 a.m. that morning until about three in the afternoon, scrubbing the place clean from top to bottom. Everything shone under both the sunlight seeping in from the two display windows that took up the entire front of the store, and the faint, yellowish lights from the tinted light bulbs Bernhard –the store's owner- liked to use to give the place _atmosphere. _The dark, marble countertop sparkled. The shelves covering almost every inch of the teashop's walls and their contents gleamed. The wooden floors which -though washed out and drab- could be used as mirrors from the way they shun and reflected the light. The crystal clear windows. No other sight, and not a single other achievement made him happier to be alive.

In addition to that, the store was completely empty save for Levi, Farlan, and Isabel. They'd closed the shop an hour early because of something important he had to do in about half an hour, but was trying desperately not to think about. Levi never liked being surrounded with too many people at once and in a relatively small room like the teashop. Even the group he'd formed with Isabel and Farlan seemed like a crowd at times.

People made too much noise. They said too many needless words without considering the effects said words might have on the individuals who heard them. A lot of People were also filthy. They'd run their hands over the counters, the tables, and sometimes even the windows, leaving smudged fingerprints on everything. Teeblatter was more often than not filled with those loud mouthed, pseudo-social people who just couldn't help themselves from touching everything and ruining all his hard work. There was always that one moment each day when Levi felt like murdering every single person that dared set foot into the shop.

But not today. The teashop was sparkling. They'd closed up early so there was no one to touch anything and spread their filth. Nothing could ruin Levi's mood so long as he kept staring at these flawless surroundings.

_'And not at the clock. Don't look at that fucking clock.' _

"But of course neither of you would _ever _lend a hand," Farlan suddenly continued, pulling Levi from his thoughts once again, "All you do is nag nag nag. You nag, Isabel nags, Ber-fucking-hnard nags, and I'm the one who ends up looking like the one who 'crawled out of the basement'. Do I even get a thank you? Noooo, of course not! Instead, all I get is-"

"Holy crap," Isabel said. Levi and Farlan looked towards her. She was looking at her phone with wide eyes.

"You're not even _listening,_" Farlan snapped.

"Yeah, because it's four o'clock…aren't we supposed to be at that cartoon studio thing right now?"

The color drained from Farlan's face before Levi even processed what Isabel said. Farlan's eyes snapped to the clock hanging on the wall behind them.

"Oh crap!" Farlan said. "Crap! I'm sorry, Levi. I can't believe I forgot all about that! I put my ass on the line and freaking closed the shop early for this…Your car is parked outside, right, Isabel? Maybe if we're quick we can still…"

The rest of Farlan's sentence, along with the argument Levi knew him and Isabel would be having over the issue faded into the white noise in the background.

Levi's heart picked up speed at the mention of the animation studio. He suddenly remembered why he'd spent the day rigorously cleaning the teashop, even though he'd done the spring cleaning rounds a mere day before. The whole day Levi had been trying to keep his thoughts away from the studio and anything that had to do with art. He'd turned his phone off as not to be tempted to check the various art blogs he loved. He had stuffed the sketchbook he carried around with him everywhere into his slack backpack which he'd thrown in one of the far, obscured corners of the store. Then, when that hadn't worked, he'd spent the entire day scrubbing every inch of the teashop like a crime scene cleaner.

He remembered how frustrated he'd been after he'd finished restocking the shelves, when he realized there was nothing left to do. He remembered how that frustration had led him to stand behind the counter and start thinking of the famous 'Masks Animation Studios', that people with years of experience barely got into, and the interview he had to sit through later that afternoon for the paid Internship position at said famous animation studio, and the fact he didn't have the qualifications for a regular internship let alone something this perfect, and how-

Tack.

Tack.

Tack.

"Teke-Teke," Isabel snickered, "Told you he's mad. He's going to kill you, Farlan."

Levi's fingers froze mid-tap. He removed his hand from the counter and dropped it to his side, "I'm not mad, dummy. I don't care when we get there," he began, "I don't care, because I'm not going. You two do what you want."

"Aaaw for crying out loud," Farlan let out a hurried sigh as he struggled to get what he could of the dust off of his clothes and hair in the shortest amount of time possible, "We have exactly thirty minutes to get to the studio and you're going to start your artist identity crisis now?"

Levi narrowed his eyes at him, but made no attempt to move, "It's not about my self-esteem, Farlan," he said, "It's about the fact we all know I'm not getting the internship. So why the hell are we stressing out about it?"

"Besides," Levi continued, "If I'd wanted to go, I would've been there by now. I wouldn't have waited for you two handicapped turtles."

"I thought you wanted us to go with you for emotional support?" Isabel pouted, already out of her apron and leaning against the handle of the main door.

"Tch," Levi rolled his eyes.

"We don't have time for this," Farlan huffed. He stepped to the back of the counter, and slowly made his way to where Levi stood, "Isabel grab a rope. We're kidnapping him if we have to."

"Touch me and I'll slash your hand, Church" Levi said. Friend or not, he was not about to let those dust covered hands come anywhere near him.

"Oh come _on._" Farlan said, "They're not going to cut off a limb if you screw up. The least you could do for your future older, saner, and less whiny self is try..."

Of course Farlan could never understand that it was actually easier for Levi if they did just amputate an arm or a leg if he messed up. But they wouldn't. What they would do was slash at something far more sensitive. His art.

He doubted he'd get the internship if he ended up breaking someone's nose for a particularly rude comment, and he knew there was a 95% chance that was exactly what would happen. So why bother dragging himself through such a humiliating situation to begin with?

_'Because if you don't go then you'll be a dick,' _He thought, _'You'll be a dick to Farlan who risked his job closing up early for you, and Isabel who insisted on driving you there. Not to mention how heartbroken your mom would be if she found out you hadn't even bothered to go, and Kenny who you know went through hell and back to get you the interview to begin with…'_

"Tell you what," Farlan sighed "Why don't we just get into Isabel's car and then spend our way to the studio discussing how untalented you are, how they'll beat you up for being so horrifically unskilled, and which ear you'll end up cutting two days later?"

Levi turned to look at the clock, clinging to one final faint hope at avoiding the interview without feeling guilty, "It's 4:06, and the studio is in Frankfurter Allee. We're all the way in Landsberger Allee won't make it in time."

"Bet you dinner at a fancy restaurant I can get us there in fifteen minutes" Isabel said. She shook the set of keys she was holding, and almost started jumping in her place in poorly controlled excitement.

Levi looked at the two of them. Farlan looked more anxious over him wasting this _chance _than he himself was. He'd always been the unofficial voice of reason in Levi's life, making sure the storms of negative emotions that always danced in his head at the most crucial of times would not cloud his decisions.

Then there was Isabel, whom he'd met only a few months before, but had clicked with better than any of the people who went to school with him for twelve consecutive years. She had an unwavering smug smile on her face as though she knew he'd give in and end up going even before they'd had this whole conversation.

_'Humor them,' _a voice rang in his head, higher than all the doubt and anxiety, _'They're the ones who'll be wasting time and gas money. All you're going to take is a few jabs at your pride…besides, your fists could use the exercise, and your uncle works with the BKA…there's nothing to worry about…' _

"What the fuck are you doing, Church?" Levi snapped. While he was thinking, Farlan had moved to the corner of the room where Levi had dumped his backpack, and was leaning down to retrieve it. "I swear to god if you touch my backpack with those grubby hands, they'll _never find _what's left of your body".

"Well then come get it yourself, your grace," Farlan said, "We have twenty minutes if we want to get there in time."

"I never said I was going," Levi said.

"Then I'll touch your sketchbook with my disgusting hands," Farlan stretched an arm out to the backpack.

"Farlan," Levi warned again.

"You won't need it if you're not going to do anything with your artistic talents anyway. I'll take it home and hang it in my disgusting apartment…" Farlan said, "Which I haven't cleaned for _months_ now."

"If you end up murdering him, can I record it and put it up on bestshockers?" Isabel said, positioning her phone as if she was really about to record the soon to come bloodshed.

There was no bloodshed, of course. Not even when Farlan grew impatient and actually brushed a finger against his bag. There would, however, be an ugly purple bruise the size of a small kitten on Farlan's shoulder the next day. And that was all Levi really needed.

"Remind me, why are we friends again?" Farlan grumbled, rubbing at his sore shoulder.

Levi shrugged, picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulder before carefully undoing his apron and folding it over a chair.

"Don't blame your poor life choices on me." He said, and then made his way to the door.

"Free dinner here I come," Isabel chimed. Fingers firmly gripping the handle, she swung herself back, and let the door drag open after her.

"You're not tricking me into buying you dinner, Isabel" Levi said as he stepped outside. He squinted, and crossed his arms as the chilly spring air glided against his skin. "And you're _not _going to make a speeding PSA out of us in an attempt to do that."

It was still March in Berlin. The row of trees lining the sidewalk gently swayed in the hands of the gentle, albeit cold, wind. Their leaves glistened as green as they could ever muster in European weather. Tufts of grass and flowers grew at their roots. The weakened greenery and the weather betrayed the calendar, leaving some tourists confused as whom to believe. For once, Levi was grateful for the sweater his mother had been forcing him to wear since the last few days of January.

"Why would you even need us to pay for your 'dinner at a fancy restaurant'?" Farlan said, "Your dad could literally buy the entire restaurant."

"Nah," She said, "I'd rather spend that money on a trip around the world, or a brand new car, or a-"

"Life," Levi said, ignoring her disapproving 'heeeey!', "Where's your car?"

"Right there," Isabel muttered, still pouting. She pointed to a deep grey vehicle parked a little away from the teashop. The car's lights lit up as she unlocked it. Levi made his way towards it without turning to see if Farlan and Isabel followed. He didn't need to; he could hear their arguing over whether Isabel knew the way to the studio or not as they trailed behind him.

The minute they got into the car –with Levi crawling onto the backseat and throwing Farlan a death glare when the latter tried to get in beside him-, Levi slid to one of the windows and leaned his head against it. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and wait for this nightmare to end. Perhaps his mind would think he was dead, and his soul would just slither out of his body. His mind was slowly flooding with ideas of failure, his heart didn't know what to do with itself, and his fingers were itching for a chance to tap against the window or the seat or anything. But he couldn't let them do that, because if Isabel called him a Teke-Teke monster one more time he'd saw _her _in half and see how she liked it.

_'You don't even have to talk to anyone. Just go into the studio, sneak into a bathroom and wait there for 30 minutes before you walk out and tell them you didn't get the job. And if that asshole tells anyone you never showed up, you can always call him a liar and go into a tirade about how unfair the system is….right?' _

"Are you absolutely, positively, 110% sure this special shortcut of yours will get us to the studio, and not Narnia?" Farlan said. Levi could perfectly imagine the frown that had probably set into Farlan's face as he said that. Most of the things he drew in his sketchbook were scenes from his mundane, everyday life. Most of those scenes consisted of Farlan and Isabel fighting about everything from world politics to the number of legs on a cockroach. He'd memorized their every move, and knew exactly what was coming next. The problem was, he wasn't sure how much of that he'd be able to take with the ghost of a headache or an anxiety attack looming behind his back.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now shut up," Isabel said. Levi heard crackling coming from the speakers as Isabel turned on the radio. He opened his mouth to complain but then she added, "I just read something _huge _on the Underground…some kid went bat-shit and killed three of his friends and then drowned himself! Some people are saying it might be related to The Russia Report!"

"Oh for God's sake, Isabel," Farlan groaned, "You're thinking about creepypastas _now_. Like right _now_?"

"It's not a creepypasta!" Isabel snapped. The crackling increased, mixed with smothered music and voices and the hum of the car as they pulled out into the street; the glass of the window tattered against his head. Levi's face crumpled. "It was on the news, idiot. Do you even know what that is? The_ News_?"

The car slowly began to pick up speed. He kept his eyes firmly closed against the rattling windows, ignoring the instinctive need to roll them at her ridiculousness.

The Underground was the most popular of the many 'paranormal' websites Isabel worshiped. Everyone –Levi included- enjoyed a good scary story; even more so if said story was a little realistic. Isabel, however, took the 'enjoyment' to a whole different level. There wasn't an urban legend she hadn't heard of, a serial killer whose biography she hadn't memorized, some Arabian superstition she didn't believe in. Even the simplest of conversations with her somehow turned into a detailed discussion of one of life's horrific sides. Consequently, Levi and Farlan were as updated about creepypastas, murderers, and natural disasters as would ever be.

'The Russia Report' was a news story that had, over the past few days, gone viral and gained mass media attention. The report covered an incident that had taken place in St. Petersburg, Russia, in which a man who was riding in a truck driven by his friend had asked said friend to pull over before mutilating his face and killing him. The madman then took his own life using a saw. Levi didn't think anything of it at the time, not even when _respected_ news channels reported the story as well. There were messed up people in the world, some news that was.

In Levi's opinion, people just wanted something to talk about, and that is what both the media and the internet continued to give them. Had everyone forgotten about that sick bastard who filmed himself slowly chopping up a man and feeding bits of him to his dog? This incident was no different. Just sick people, in a sick, mad world. He couldn't care less about the whole thing. But Isabel loved that story, and unlike Farlan, Levi didn't mind humoring her. Still, there was the threat of their continuing banter –and a resulting skull-splitting headache- over the subject if he didn't shut them up as soon as possible.

"Found it!" Isabel all but yelled. The crackling suddenly stopped, and was replaced by a low drone Levi couldn't be bothered to listen to. "Oh my god. Oh. My. God. Farlan, are you hearing this? Levi, Levi are you listening to this? He used a fishhook. Oh my god, he used a fishhook to-"

"I swear to God, Isabel if you don't stop talking about that shit I-I don't even know what I'm going to do." Farlan said.

"This is even worse than that thing that happened in St. Petersburg…How far is Helsinki from here, anyway? Oh god, can you imagine that? Can you imagine something like this happening in Berlin? That would be so…surreal."

"Seriously shut up and keep your eyes on the goddamn road, woman!" Farlan said, "You're going to get us killed!"

"Not if The Russia Report does that first," Isabel said

"No," Levi finally said, "Not if _I _kill both of you first if I hear another fucking word. Its bad enough I'm going to go see those fucking snobs just so you two have a sob story to talk about for the rest of the year. Now you want me to sit here and listen to you two fight about whether or not slender man is fucking real?"

Silence filled the car for a minute. Only the cluttered noise from the radio and the white noise of the engine remained. But by then it was far too late. Levi could already feel a dull aching throb starting at the base of his head, spreading like a blotch of ink on parchment.

So when Isabel muttered,"Slenderman is real…there's a video of him climbing a building Russia and everything…" Levi pretended not to hear her and just pressed his head harder against the window. And when his mind slowly began to fill with unpleasant thoughts, he didn't try to distract himself, and also pretended not to notice.

When it slowly filled with thoughts like…

_'What if they act like "professor" Bauer, and rip a page from your sketchbook and stomp on it because it's _trash_?' _

_'What if your art really was trash, and you don't get the internship...'_

_'What if –god forbid- they said your art actually wasn't bad but needed an academic touch? Your mother would get depressed again…' _

_'Why is it always Russia, anyway? The Russian Sleep Experiment, Slenderman, and now The Russia Report?' _

…He imagined he was lifting his needle fingers under the single light bulb illuminating his old house's browning living room to see if the light would pass through his paper pale skin and show the underlying metal of the needles.

They arrived five minutes early, thanks to Isabel's shortcut and –Levi suspected- the adrenaline the story in Helsinki had pumped through her which had made her drive like a murderer in a Slasher movie.

They stood in front a boringly ordinary building. It was nothing like the extravagant pictures of Masks studio's international branches that were posted on Tumblr. There was no shiny aluminum finish blaring under even the slightest sunlight. No stylish architecture with bold colors and sharp or curvy walls. No. It looked like any other building on Frankfurter Allee; which wasn't to say it was ugly. Just…drab, regular, nothing to indicate any sort of creativity.

The blood in Levi's legs seemed to have turned to mercury. The few steps he had to take from Isabel's car to the building where the studio was felt like he was running in a nightmare. He wondered if Farlan –who had insisted on walking him to the door like some sort of wrestling coach- could tell that he was struggling to push himself forward.

"You've got this," Farlan said, "You're an amazing artist. Just try to be social, and not make a scene, you know? If anyone comments on your height, do what Tyrion Lannister does a-"

"Shoot them with a crossbow?"

"I meant ignore them…"

"If anyone makes any snide remarks, I'm going to punch them," Levi said, "I'm going to break their jaw so that they look like that lady in the first grudge movie…"

As he said that, a woman who looked more android than human stepped through the revolving glass door of the building. She stepped between them and, seeming to have heard what Levi said, threw a distasteful glance their way before continuing on her way. Levi narrowed his eyes at her, opening his mouth to fling an insult. Farlan cleared his throat to catch his attention.

"You haven't listened to a thing I said, have you?" Farlan frowned, his eyes tracing the steps of the pompous woman who passed them.

"I'm going to punch them," Levi said. He slightly pressed the backpack containing his sketchbook and portfolio harder against his chest, as though waiting for his ribcage to open up and swallow them. "Then I'm going to come out here and break _your _jaw,"

He didn't give Farlan a chance to ask why, and he didn't turn to see the man blanch in fear despite probably knowing Levi would never actually hurt him or Isabel. Levi simply walked through the big glass door, and was immediately hit with a storm of freezing, conditioned air. It smelled acidly sweet, similar to the building of the art school he went to two years ago. Everything –even the people- also looked far too clean; almost sterilized. Like one of those hospitals in horror movies where they performed horrible experiments on people. Except the floors and walls were not white but different shades of grey.

His mind swam, and he felt almost dizzy. He hadn't paid much attention to what the woman who'd thrown him and Farlan a disapproving look before strolling off had looked like. He didn't know if she looked like the rest of the people. Levi certainly hoped not. He couldn't stand the thought of a snob like the ones he was looking at right now, with their starkly bright or dark clothes and plastic hair, looking down at him. He couldn't stand the idea that he'd let her look down on him and Farlan and then simply waltz away, because he sure as hell wasn't about to take any crap from any of these people.

A receptionist stood behind an unusually bent desk just opposite him. He could only see down to her waist, and for some reason he couldn't get it out of his head that her torso was in fact attached to a set of wheels rather than legs.

_'Well at least you'll walk out of here with an idea for a new character…' _

Levi turned his head to the revolving glass door he'd just walked through as a final confirmation that he wasn't able to turn back and walk away. Farlan caught his eye and was shooting him a weird look and beckoning him to move forward. Isabel stood right next to the road and was holding up four fingers and waving them around with an excitement he wished he had for what he was about to do. Both of them made him roll his eyes.

He noticed himself clutching the backpack a little tighter, and thus flung it over one shoulder in an attempt to seem more calm and composed. Levi walked towards the woman, who didn't even bother to look up from whatever she was doing behind her fortress of charcoal grey.

"Ackerman!" He heard someone whisper just before he got to the woman's desk. Levi stopped for a second and listened to see if he'd heard right. It was an unusual voice, both deep and shrill at the same time. Levi didn't know if he should acknowledge it. The woman behind the desk looked at him, then to somewhere to their right. She looked back, and then tilted her head to the direction he supposed the call came from, but he still kept his eyes firmly towards the desk.

"Over here, Ackerman. To your right,"

Levi reluctantly looked to the source of the voice. A man in a deep grey suit that looked far more expensive than Isabel's car smiled at him from across the room. It was the most disturbing smile Levi had ever seen in his entire life. It wasn't the goofy smile of those annoying happy-go-lucky people he detested, nor was it an ill intended smirk –at least, Levi hoped not-. No, It reminded him of a story Isabel had once told him and Farlan called 'The Smiling Man'.

It was insane.

The man nodded at him. It took all of Levi's determination not to cringe at the almost mechanical movement. His eyes darted between the lady and the man for a second, unsure of what to do for a moment. Then, with legs somehow heavier than those he'd used to drag himself to the building in the first place, he walked towards the man. Whose smile somehow became so wide Levi thought his face would split in half.

The man stretched out an arm, "Rhisiart Walker, pleasure to meet you."

Levi looked at the man's hand. Farlan's voice rang in his ears, _'be sociable'. _

He clasped _Walker's _hand in his, barely contributing to the needlessly rough shaking.

"Forgive me, I only know your last name since its very…catchy." Walker said, "Figured I needed a change of scenery after being cooped up in my office, and I end up being the first person to welcome you. Lucky, huh?"

"How did you know I was..._Ackerman_?" Levi said, "Or even if I was the Ackerman you were looking for?"

"I didn't," Walker said, "I just saw someone I didn't recognize and decided to shoot for it."

"That makes absolutely no sense,"

"Now that I think about it, no, it doesn't. And I was probably setting myself up for embarrassment had I not been lucky," Walker shrugged, "But I simply can't contain my excitement when I see an artist. Words just seem to slip out."

Levi raised an eyebrow at him, "Excitement when what?"

"You know what I think?" Walker said, "I think we should move this interesting conversation to my office. You'll _love _it…The office, I mean, and the conversation, perhaps, if everything goes well."

Walker placed a hand on Levi's shoulder and beckoned him forward. Though complying, Levi couldn't help but glare at the perfectly manicured fingers slightly digging into his shoulder. The last man who had attempted that had had his hand slashed. Levi glanced at the glass door were Farlan was amazingly still standing. Farlan mouthed something at him. Levi narrowed his eyes, and deepened his frown.

Farlan was telling him to smile.

The room Rhisiart Walker took him to looked about as fancy as one would expect an accountants office to be. It was as drab and dull as the building they were in, with the same monotone colors and furniture with edges that could poke a person's eyes out just by staring at them. The large size of the room also made it seem very empty. There was a blackish-grey desk at the far end of the room, coupled with a chair that looked like it belonged in an art gallery rather than the man's office. Other than that there were two other uncomfortable looking chairs, and a trashcan filled to the brim with crumpled papers.

Walker strolled towards the desk and sat behind it, leaning back in the chair as though it were made of silk and cotton, "What was your first name again?" He said, "Your uncle told me, but I've never been good at remembering first names…you see, last names tell the story of entire generations of people. Fathers passing them down to their children, and then the sons pass them down to their sons…isn't it amazing? The thought that your name was carried by generations before you? Like a family heirloom! Your last name is particularly special, from what I've heard. So many Ackermans, why do you think that is?"

If the man's appearance and demeanor had made him uncomfortable, his words almost made his skin peel off and hide in a trash can. _Excited to see an artist_, for one thing,just seemed unusual for someone who owned a billion dollar business to say. Now he was asking him why his family name was common? It wasn't just that. Now that he got a good look at him, Levi saw that everything about the man looked _off. _His eyes, for example, were particularly disturbing. Levi didn't know if anyone else could tell, but this man seemed to hold either an annoying amount of enthusiasm, or the insanity of an entire asylum in those brown eyes.

Levi shifted in the stiff chair, trying to find a comfortable position under Walker's mad stare.

"I've never really asked," Levi said, "You're better off asking Kenny about that kind of stuff. He's obsessed with it."

Walker frowned, and for some reason Levi felt his muscles relax.

"You're not interested in your family history?"

Levi shrugged, "I think 'family history' is a waste of time. I'd much rather spend my time working on myself than brag about how bravely my great grandfather fought in the war."

"Well I'm sure you'd change your mind if you found out a little bit more about your particular family," Walker said, "But you're not here to have me lecture you about all that now, are you?"

There was that Cheshire smile again. It spread, a drop of ink on parchment, from the center of his face almost up to his ears. That and the way he moved was…unnatural. Slow, almost sluggish and rigid, like an unoiled automaton. Levi almost expected to hear a creak whenever the man bent a joint. Another thing he half expected was to hear the door clicking locked before the man stabbed him in the eye. But, again, all that came out of him were words. Until now, at least.

_'Damn it, Kenny…'_

"You see, Levi, was it?" Walker said, leaning forward in his chair with his elbows firmly planted on the desk's surface. Concentrated as he tried to seem, his eyes still held that glint of madness. Levi was grateful for the barrier between them, "As clichéd as it may sound, the world is like an ocean. There are a lot of boring grey fish in it that flaunt their scales like god had only created them in this world, then there are the fascinating ones that hold more color than the human eye can see. The latter hide themselves from the inattentive seer in rocks, or coral, or in the darkness. I never really understood why. Was it because they were shy? Unsure of how beautiful they truly were to allow those uglier creatures to overshadow them? Or perhaps they didn't believe everyone deserved to behold their beauty, and this was this some sort of challenge for those who really deserved to?

I don't know. I'm not a fish psychologist. But what I _do_know is that there are a lot of artists out there with a lot of talent that they're wasting on social media websites because they're too afraid of applying to 'big companies' like mine. And that those big companies don't bother looking for said artists because they're too narcissistic, believing they deserved the best, and that only the best would apply to them. But, unbeknownst to them, all they really end up filling their aquariums with are boring, grey, slimy fish."

"Now what makes Masks special," Walker continued, "is that we don't wait for whatever crab decides to crawl into our nets. We put on our diving gear, and go looking for those dazzling fish ourselves instead. Anywhere I hear they're collecting, Friedrichshain, New Orleans, San Juan, I open up a small, shabby 'studio' like this one and invite certain specific artists to it. When I find that they're what I'm looking for, I -or one of my _trusted_employees- offer them a position at my actual company.

The whole point was that you wouldn't know this place belonged to me or was in anyway related to "Masks" so you'd feel more comfortable coming in…but I'm guessing your uncle ruined that, didn't he?"

He sure had. The first thing Kenny had said to him and his mother when he'd showed up on an unexpected visit was that he'd managed to talk the owner of a _'huge cartoon thing'_into giving Levi a shot at an internship. His mother had then spent an hour and a half trying to get Kenny to remember the name of said studio. _'Masks Animation Studios' _he'd finally said. Levi had almost choked on the air he was breathing. Almost.

"He might have mentioned something about you," Levi wasn't sure the words _'fucking weirdo with a doll fetish'_were appropriate, "But that doesn't really matter. I wasn't going to chicken out just because I found out the internship would be at a studio like this one, and not some obscure, grungy studio that probably sold drugs on the side…"

From the sharp breath Levi practically felt the man suck through his lips, he thought Walker would fall out of his chair laughing. Instead all he did was let out a soft chuckle before going back to admiring the sketchbook.

"And that must be the Ackerman humor I've heard so much about," Walker hummed.

"You sure do seem interested in the Ackerman family…" Levi said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Walker said, carefully flipping through Levi's sketchbook, as though taking a picture of each sketch with his eyes "Besides the fact you're an _amazing _artist from what I've seen up till now, your uncle is one of my closest friends. Got me out of a couple of sticky situations time and time again."

Though his face held the nonchalant façade, Levi's heart sank. Of course he was only here because his uncle had pulled a few strings. Why on earth would he, for a second, think that his _art skills_ would have anything to do with this? His skin prickled, and the room suddenly seemed a lot smaller than when he came in.

"These look a lot more beautiful on paper," Walker said before Levi's thoughts had the chance to wreck their havoc, "Are you sure you never had any formal teaching?"

_'Keep calm. We've practiced this in front the mirror dozens of times. There's nothing to be ashamed of.' _

"I went to UdK for two years, but then I dropped out," Levi muttered.

"Universitat der Kunste?" Walker said, his voice dripping with exaggerated amusement, "Why would you drop out of such a prestigious art school?"

_'We've practiced this,' _

Levi sat up a little straighter in the hard, sharp chair, "The University is in Charlottenburg, and I couldn't afford to be so far away from home."

"After what happened with your mother, you mean?"

His stomach twisted; the emotion strong enough to peek into his face. He regarded Walker with steely eyes as the latter looked up from the sketchbook and looked back at him with a vacant expression.

No one knew about what happened to Levi's mother three years ago but him, Kuchel herself –on most days-, and Kenny. They'd never told anyone else because they hadn't wanted his mother to feel damaged any more than she already did. That woman was strong as nails. She never let anything bring her spirit down. But then again, the body and the spirit were two entirely different things. And if a two hour long beating wasn't enough to break her spirit, it was certainly enough to break her bones and leave her with traumatic brain injury.

"I'm sorry," Walker said. He closed the sketchbook and slid it across his desk back to Levi, "I have a habit of touching peoples' raw nerves that I'm not too proud of."

"It's not a raw nerve," Levi said, a little more defensive than he would have liked, "I just don't see the point of having to explain it to every single person I haven't talked to for more than fifteen minutes."

"I'll note that down," Walker smiled again. He grabbed a notepad and pretended to scribble something down, "Ask…about…Ackerman's personal problems… _after _fifteen minutes."

Levi noted something too, in his head. He did _not _like Rishtart Walker.

"So how come you came to meet me instead of a trusted employee?" He said in a futile attempt to drag the conversation back on track.

"Oh it's just a coincidence" Walker said. He did a small spin in his chair "As you could probably guess from the shabby office, I'm closing this place up in a few days. I just had to come to Berlin to tie up some loose ends before I head to Australia."

"What?" Levi didn't even know how to react to that, "Why the f-why would you be asking for interns if you're 'Closing this place up in a few days'?!"

"Because I'm closing _this_ office," Walker said, "Not the entire company. You do realize we have multiple studios worldwide, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm applying for an internship in Germany, because…you know, I live here?"

"Why do you keep saying 'internship'?" Walker said, "I'm offering you a_job_"

Levi's eye twitched, "You're offering a university dropout with no professional experience in the animation industry whatsoever a _job_ at one of the most prestigious animation studios in the world? Do I have stupid written on my face or….?"

"No," Walker said slowly, "You have a lot of things written on your face, but stupid isn't one of them."

Levi glowered at him. His eyes darted around the room for a second before snapping back to the man's ceramic face, "Is this a psychiatric unit? Did Kenny trick me into therapy or something?"

"You don't look like someone who'd fall for something like that," Walker sighed and flipped to the first page of the sketchbook, carefully going over each drawing from the very beginning, "Dear friend's beloved nephew or not, I wouldn't have bothered inviting you to my office otherwise,"

Levi let out an irritated sigh. Fuck Farlan and his dorky social skills.

"Listen, I don't want to sound rude, but I've got something imp-"

"You know I don't understand why you sound so surprised I'm closing up," Walker began. He wasn't smiling anymore and looked up from the sketchbook to hold Levi's eyes. Levi couldn't help but notice how murky the man's eyes were; brown and burnt. People compared brown eyes to chocolate and oak and cinnamon sticks, but Walker's eyes weren't anything like that. They were the mud near rivers on rainy days that threatened to pull you down and drown you. They were dried blood. There was something Kenny hadn't told him, and this entire thing felt like a horrible idea for entirely different reasons. "What's worse is I don't understand why you're so sure _you're_ staying in Berlin…"

"Because I've been living here for fifteen years," Levi said bluntly. He wasn't willing to move closer to Charlottenburg because that would mean he'd be moving farther away from his mother. He wasn't about to move to _Australia _or god knows where this nutcase wanted him to go for a job _Kenny _had gotten for him. "And I'm not about to move anywhere anytime soon. So yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm staying in Berlin."

Walker's frown deepened, the creases under his eyes becoming more prominent "What do you mean you're…Aren't you heading Down Under? Your uncle works for the BKA, doesn't he? He should've told you by now…_they_ should've told _him_. Have they told him?"

This was getting weird. Far too weird, and not to mention frustrating. He was going to walk out of here with more questions than answers, which made no sense whatsoever because he thought he was here for an internship interview. Now he was wondering what his uncle hadn't told him, and what the BKA hadn't told his uncle, and why Walker seemed so unnaturally worried about them staying in Berlin, and why he was focusing on Australia in particular. This was weird, and frustrating, and ridiculous, and he was going to punch Farlan so hard his jaw would _shatter _and not just break.

"Look," Levi slowly reached out a hand to pull his sketchbook back, stuffing it into his backpack, "I'm really sorry if Kenny might have pressured you into interviewing me or whatever. I kind of had a feeling this was a bad idea to begin w-"

"Oh no, no, no!" Walker shook his head and Levi could swear he heard the tendons squeak and creak as the joint twisted, "Forget it. You know what? Forget all about it. I'll give Ackerman senior a call in my own spare time. No need to drag you into this."

"Drag me into _what_?" He finally snapped, "I've been to interviews before, and this is nothing like any professional _interview _I've ever been to. What the hell is it you're trying to do, Walker?"

"Probably nothing as dramatic as what you have in mind" Walker sighed and tapped his fingers on the desk. The motion made Levi shift in his seat. He wanted to do that too, really badly, "I got carried away. I tend to do that _a lot_. Sue me, Ackerman."

_'You have no idea how much I wish I could do that for wasting my time, prick.'_

Walker clapped his hands together, "Back to our subject, you'll mostly be handling minor background work because of our little 'experience' problem and all, but the pay will be a lot better than whatever you're making at that shabby coffee shop you're working in r-"

Levi scowled, "Teashop."

"What?"

"It's a _tea_shop"

Walker paused and stared at him long enough for Levi to believe he'd finally managed to tick him off and destroy his chance at the supposed dream job. But then that Cheshire Smile spread across his lips again and for an hour-like second Levi wished he _had _lost the job.

"Of course it is. I should've paid more attention," Walker took a breath and started again, "I'll tell my dear secretary to send you an email with the specifics, but the pay will be a lot better than whatever you're making at that shabby _tea_shop you're working in right now. Better?"

Levi crossed his arms and let out a frustrated sigh, "A lot."

"So you want the job?"

"You're _asking _me? Why would I be applying if I-" He bit his lip and raised a hand to his forehead. Though, to be honest, he wasn't so sure he wanted anything to do Walker or this studio or art as a whole anymore. Damn. It. Kenny. "I'll…I need time to think about it since there's the whole deal about moving an-"

Walker clicked his tongue and leaned forward in his chair in a way that made Levi instinctively lean back, "Leave the Berlin office, and Australia, and your uncle all out of it and focus back on what you came here for. A job in 'one of the most prestigious animation studios of our modern day and age', remember?"

_'A bit too late for that…' _

Levi looked towards the door, secretly slinging his bag around one shoulder "I really think I need a twenty four hour cooling off period,"

"Or!" Walker quickly added, "Or you could drop by next Monday and take a look at what we do around here before you jump in yourself?"

"Drop by where? In the office you're closing?"

"See, now you're the one who's not paying attention to details," Walker said with a smug grin, "I said we still have a few projects to wrap up, so you can come take a look at those and see if it fits you."

"Fine. Sure. Whatever." Levi kept his eyes on the door and slowly rose to his feet. He caught a glimpse of Walker mirroring his movement out of the corner of his eye before he turned towards the door completely and took a step towards it.

"I'd catch your wrist like they do in the movies," Walker said hurriedly before he had a chance to take another step, "But I heard the last person who tried to touch you got their hand slashed…Dear me, do you carry that knife with you everywhere?'

Yes, as illegal as it was –a man was arrested carrying a screwdriver once, for god's sake!-, he did carry _that_ knife around with him everywhere, snugged in the tight outer pocket of his boot and hidden under thick jeans. Kenny had gotten it for him on his twentieth birthday and he'd carried it around ever since. Not that he'd ever needed to use it before that one time at a bar when someone had gotten particularly drunk and tried to make a move on Isabel. If there had been one time he'd been glad Kenny was in any way related to him, it had been then. He'd probably be in prison right now if it hadn't been for Kenny pulling a few strings, _and _making the guy drop the charges whether he liked it or not.

"In any case," Came Walker's shrill voice again as he walked to stand in front of him and held out a card in his hand, "If anything should…happen, before next Monday and you find yourself in a pickle, don't hesitate to call, alright?"

Levi stared at the card, at the perfect, manicured fingers holding it. He looked at Walker and raised a brow, "If something should happen?"

Walker shrugged, "You never know. And you certainly can't count on your uncle to get you out of every situation you come across," he winked.

Levi remained silent, and reached out a hand to snatch and stuff the card into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah, sure…" He paused and grouchily added, "Thank you."

Walker's smile widened in a way that made it seem as though the part of his head above the upper lip could fall off any second. Levi had a feeling he'd have at least one nightmare with that face lurking somewhere in the shadows.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again, _Ackerman_."

Levi had a fairly good image of what his facial expression looked like when he stepped out the revolving doors from the look he caught on Farlan's face. The other man's features recoiled the way they seemed to do when Isabel told them a particularly gruesome story. He looked like the painting Levi once accidentally spilled tea on, mouth drooping at the corners and eyes slanting downwards.

"I'm guessing we're _not _going to be going out for ice cream?" Farlan ventured after an awkward moment of the two just starting at each other.

"I hate ice cream, and you know that, Church." Levi walked past him, towards Isabel who was leaning against her car and flipping through her phone with concentrated eyes. He did _not _have the heart to talk about this at the moment, or possibly ever again. He didn't even know how he felt about all this. He should be happy he'd finally gotten a chance, a _dream_ chance, at doing art for a living, but for some ungrateful reason his chest was even more clenched then when he'd walked in and all he wanted to do was crawl under his bed and cut all human contact.

"_Church_?" Farlan breathed, and Levi knew he'd be doing that thing where he stepped in front of him before he had the chance to make it any closer to the car.

_'Of fucking course…'_

He sighed, and looked at Farlan, "_What_?"

"What do you mean what?" Farlan said.

_'God, this is priceless…he looks like he's about to _cry'

"Do I have to explain what 'what' means, Farlan? I know you're daft, but not _that_ daft."

Farlan's frown deepened if that was even possible, "What happened? Didn't they like your work? Why wouldn't they like your work? People on Tumblr like it…No, people on Tumblr _love _it! It must've been something else. Did they make fun of your height? They made fun of your height and you snapped at them, didn't you? God, Levi, why are you so self-conscious about that…"

"I'm not self-conscious!" Levi snapped.

"Do I really need to remind you why we're banned from half the bars in Friedrichshain? Do I?"

"Because you get yourself drunk after the second glass, start crying hysterically over Finding Nemo, and make everyone feel uncomfortable every time?" Isabel snickered from behind them.

Farlan looked at her over his shoulder and snapped, "It was one time, and you know it!" He then sighed and turned back to Levi, whose face twisted as he struggled to suppress his laughter, "Can you at least tell me what happened so we can see whether or not we can try and fix it?"

"Why would you just assume something went wrong?" Levi said, "Am I that much of a fuckup?"

Farlan cringed and raised his hands up in defense, "Don't go jumping to conclusions…But you've got to admit you're not the most…_sociable_ person around."

Levi scoffed, "I'm sociable as fuck. I put up with you and Isafreak, don't I?"

"Because I'm as flexible as they get, and Isabel is as is much of a freak as y-" Levi glared at him and Farlan cleared his throat, "Assuming you didn't 'screw up', what happened then? Why do look like you've come out of a brawl?"

"Nothing happened, drama queen," Levi said, "I met with a guy and we talked for a while, then he said I could take a look around next Monday and if 'I' liked the place then I could officially become part of the insane asylum that is Masks Animation Studios."

Farlan's eyebrows furrowed, his mouth twisting in either skepticism or confusion, he couldn't tell, "If…you liked the place? So you think he's just saying that as a kind of 'don't call us, we'll call you' sort of thing?"

Levi shook his head, "I think it's more the 'know who not know how' sort of thing. I think Kenny might've talked him into it…"

"Talk him into it as in he _actually _knows the guy and _actually _sat down to have a long discussion about why you should get in and/or bribed him into it, or he just happened to suggest you and you're just trying to think of any excuse to fuel your self-esteem issues?"

"For the last fucking time, Church," Levi began in a low, warning tone, "I don't have self-esteem issues."

"Well you have _something _if it's going to make you beat people up for it, and if it's going to make you call your self-proclaimed conjoined twin by his last name…twice" Farlan raised a finger before Levi had a chance to retort. He could see the man's lip twitching slightly at the corner the way it did when he smirked, "But that's an argument for another day. Right now we need to make it back to Frakfurt Allee before they close the Ice Cream shop, and celebrate your pessimism being put to shame."

"No we're not," Levi stepped past him and continued his way to the car. He would've bumped their shoulders together for that snide remark, but he wasn't going anywhere near Farlan in his current state, "Because I just said I hate ice cream, and I know you're just going to invite us to that cheap ass parlor just to see that girlfriend of yours, and I'm not putting that shit in my mouth."

"She's more of a work in progress, Levi," Farlan muttered and followed him, "And the ice cream isn't even that bad…"

"Getting her to look at you isn't progress, Farlame," Isabel said and pointed to her phone, "Now _this _is progress. The Underground is saying the reason people are going nuts and killing each other is because they see something…something we, as puny humans, are not supposed to see."

Farlan groaned, "Why couldn't I have normal friends? You know, where one of them looks _happy _he got the job, or would at least tell me whether or not he got it because I'm still confused as hell…and another friend who'd be happy for said friend if he'd gotten the job instead of rambling on about a stupid creepypasta!"

"It's not a creepypasta, asshole!" She snapped, "People are dying in what…dozens? You can't just call people dying creepypasta! Jeff the Killer never killed anyone in real life, you piece of human waste."

"You're a piece of human waste," Farlan shot back as the three climbed back into the car, "So what? People are seeing banshees and losing their minds? Is it judgment day already?"

"I don't know what they're seeing," Isabel said, starting her car and pulling out of the parking lot, "But I hope you end up seeing it on your way home tonight, butthead."

"I hope yousee it in your bathroom mirror tonight, weirdo"

"Take it back!" She shrieked, "That's not funny, Farlan. I mean it!"

"What? So it's alright if _my _brain turns to scrambled eggs and I rip my throat out, but not for the same to happen to you?" Farlan scoffed, "That doesn't seem fair."

"You don't believe in it like I do, and bad things always happen to the ones who believe in them!"

"Stop believing them then,"

"Farlan I'll kick you out of the car while we're still moving at top speed, I swear!"

"Not if I lock the do-"

"Farlan," Levi warned from his seat at the back. He traced his fingers across the rough, canvas paper of the sketchbook lying in his lap. It was either he was incredibly ungrateful, or that something truly was wrong about this whole situation. It bothered him as an itch on the inside of his ribcage that was there, but impossible to relieve. Walker didn't seem interested in an 'artist' at all. He hadn't asked a single question that was in place, and it didn't feel fake enough for Kenny and his _acquaintance _to have set up. No, Walker was genuinely interested in everything he was asking him about.

"What?" Farlan said, "Don't tell me you believe in this crap too?"

"No, but I know you two will keep clawing at each other's faces until one of you backs down." He looked up from the sketch he'd flipped to, "And since we both know Isabel isn't going to, the one backing down might as well be you."

"And why should I have to back down, since 'we both know' this is a bunch of crap she'll keep going on about for the next century?" Farlan grumbled.

"Because otherwise you'll both give me a headache," Levi began slowly, "And when I have a headache, _everyone_ suffers."

Farlan groaned, and turned on the radio, switching between the channels until he settled on a song too generic for his taste, "_Fine. _I'll lift my curse…not like any of this is worth having grumpy cat burst a vessel."

Levi let the comment slide, and pulled his own phone from his pocket, tapping on the Tumblr app to pass the time, not to mention help take his mind off things. Amongst the usual random posts he found on his dashboard were a couple of things about what Isabel had talked about that morning; the report in Helsinki. Then there were a few more scattered reports about something similar that had occurred somewhere in North America. He rolled his eyes; served him right for listening to the red head and following those paranormal blogs. Levi scrolled further down, a flash of colors passing by his eyes until something in particular caught his attention. It was a picture post with a photo of an old mansion in black and white. It was a thing of aged beauty, with a façade of veiny marble walls, elegant roman columns, arched windows, and overall palatial exterior. His finger hovered over the reblog button, not bothering to read the description until a word flashed brighter than the rest and caught his eye.

_Shelter…_

Levi's eyebrow furrowed and he slowly scrolled down to read the rest.

_Shelter…_

_Hello! My name is Hanji Zoe and I'm a genetic engineer! I'm sure a lot of you have probably heard about the crazy killing sprees that have been occurring lately, and even more sure that you've at least heard of The Russia report. _

_Some people think it's all a media hoax, others believe something's up, and that it won't be long before that thing comes knocking on your door. _

_Now I don't mean to startle anyone, but I belong to the second group of people, and I'm opening up the lovely little house you see in the picture up there for anyone who might be seeking shelter before anything happens. Everyone's welcome! I don't want anything in return. The company and the thought I might help at least one person out of this alive is enough for me._

His eyes fleeted over the address. Somewhere near Grunewald. A two hour drive from where he lived.

_Hope to see you soon!_

_Though I mainly hope I won't need to, of course…_

Levi raised a brow and tapped the little heart again to remove his 'like' from the notes. This website was attracting more and more weirdoes by the day. Maybe he should tell Walker about it next Monday. He paused and looked to Isabel, who'd already started yet another argument with Farlan about some Actor's sexual orientation. He wondered if he should tell her about the 'shelter' and let all hell break loose, because Farlan would die before passing an opportunity this big to make fun of her, and Isabel sure as hell wouldn't back would drag the whole world through seven hells and back before she let Farlan fuck mothering Church beat her in an argument. Levi thought better of it and kept his mouth shut, leaning back in his seat, and looking out the window. He tucked his phone back in his pocket, and let his mind trail to other thoughts.

Like whether he deserved a chance to work with someone as big as Walker when other artists who were ten times better than him could barely scrape by…

Or whether that was the real reason he was so reluctant to work with the man, or that he was just saying that to himself as not to feel guilty or ungrateful. Because the real reason was that something seemed off…and he didn't like it when things seemed off. Not one bit.

But then again, his uncle had probably –emphasis on probably- worked really hard, and sucked up to a lot of people to get his ungrateful nephew something like this.

And this was finally a chance for him to show his mother that she hadn't ended his entire art career as she still often firmly believed.

And there was Farlan who wouldn't stop nagging him to stop hiding whatever his hand had the courage to draw out in painful lines, and Isabel who'd brag to everyone she knew back in Munich about how she knew a real, live artist.

And,

And,

And,

The list was endless. He knew that. But he still couldn't shake the unease he felt no matter how much he tried. Levi sighed and placed his hand on the car window, a little away from his face.

Tack.

Tack.

Tack.

* * *

Huuuuuge thank you to my amazing beta IirieCadence for her invaluable help with this chapter, and for putting up with my crap.  
Also, am I the only one who wants to wring Walker's neck?


	3. Present 2: Artificial Light

Artificial Light

Back before they'd had to flee the house, he and Erwin used to play a game –or at least that's what Levi'd call it when the children asked, because he was too weak to say they were learning to abandon their sight completely for this horrifying new reality-. One of them would stand somewhere in the house, anywhere, and clap their hands once, and once only. The other would be blindfolded and had to guess exactly where the clap had come from.

At first Levi had been clumsy, owning to a lifetime of brash, brawny decisions that'd only been curbed by a friend, whose body he'd seen strewn across the pavement like a piece of rotten meat. He'd bumped into countless walls, and toppled over a dozen times –once even coming close to snapping his neck when he slipped down the stairs had Mike not grabbed him in time-. But after a number of bruises, he'd finally gotten the hang of it. Well, as much as you possibly could in one year's time.

Erwin was his polar opposite. Erwin had never been clumsy. Erwin had never been brash or brawny, and where Levi, as an artist, had spent his twenty years of life sculpting his vision and observation skills, Erwin was a man with a set of ears trained to scrutinize every note they picked up since he was five. He painted with piano keys, pieces that could only be seen with one's mind and ears. That's why he wasn't simply good at effortlessly slaloming to where the clap had come, but each and every one of his claps was perfectly calculated, they echoed off the walls like streams of light meant for ones ears not eyes.

He wished Erwin could clap for him right now.

But right now all Levi could hear was the breath in his ears, ragged and cold and dry as it dips into his trachea like a line of blue fire. He could hear the blood pounding in his legs, threatening to rip the arteries apart should he run any further. There was the crunching of leaves under his heavy boots; a crow screamed somewhere to their right; the children's quiet breathing. Other than that, a suffocating silence.

That fox had thrown them off course. They were supposed to run in one straight line. No turns. No short cuts. Until they got to The Havel River. That's what Elliot had told them. If they'd just not changed direction…

He had no idea where they were now, with eyes barely open, a mind clouded with exhaustion, and the woods getting darker by the minute.

At times his mind would play tricks on him, and Levi would hear clapping coming from somewhere around him. Other times he swore he could see two hands emerging from the trees and clapping for him. It would take every ounce of self-control he had not to follow them to whatever hell they wanted to take him to. Yet the further he went into the forest, the further he pushed his mind into the pits of exhaustion, the harder those hallucinations become to ignore. He was tired, he was lost, he was losing hope and he wanted something to guide him to where he needed to go.

No. He wanted something to guide him _anywhere._

"Where are we going?" The boy grumbled, and Levi pushed the incident with the fox far back into the depths of his mind. He couldn't think about that right now. If he thought about it he'd fall, and never be able to get up again.

He didn't have the breath to start an argument, and he knew if he mustered it then he'd lash out at the boy, so Levi just tightens his grip around the two children and keeps running.

But the boy, as bullheaded and irritating as ever, insisted, "I want to know where we're going! You can't just drag us with you if you don't know where we're go-"

"Australia," He'd intended to yell, yet all he could manage was a rasp, "We're going to fucking Australia."

The boy fell silent, however Levi knew better than to expect him to end the conversation there.

"We can't go all the way to Australia!" The boy sounded almost hysterical and wriggled in Levi's grasp in a way that almost made him trip and drop the three of them onto the muddy ground, "Papa said he'd come back to find us, and he'll never find us if we go to Australia!"

"I told your Papa," Lying should come as second nature to him. His uncle was Kenny fucking Ackerman. Still, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of remorse as he did, "He'll meet us there."

"You're a liar!" The boy's small foot came crashing into his thigh. But despite the flash of pain in his already aching muscles, Levi didn't react.

_He'll thank you for this when he's older… _

Levi scoffed. He doubted it.

"You're a liar and…and a kidnapper," The boy thrashed, "And I'm going to kick your ass if you don't let us go!"

Levi staggered, the boy almost slipping from his grasp. He adjusted his hold on the two children and scowled as he continued to run. If only one of his hands were free, he would've smacked the boy upside the head and show him how a real 'kidnapper' would've dealt with such behavior.

"Levi," The girl squeaked, her quiet voice piercing through his mind like a reluctant needle before her brother had a chance to continue his tantrum, "We need to go back..."

Levi sucked in a sharp breath, but did not reply, hoping that would be warning enough for her to drop the subject and let him worry about more important things. Like the fact the only food they had was two packets of biscuits and some juice boxes he'd managed to grab for the children, or that they had no idea where they were going, or that there were _insane_ wild animals roaming the forest too.

Or that the boy had seen something… He shook his head. No, he wasn't about to think of that right now. Why couldn't the girl just keep her mouth shut?

"We forgot Armin," She muttered, "We forgot Armin and Petra back at the house…we need to go get them."

Though Levi kept running, his mind short circuited and he found himself unable to think properly for a long while as his heart thundered in his chest for an entirely different reason. Through the chaos and screaming and red flashes of death before their eyes, he'd forgotten that there were _three_ children in the house. He'd forgotten that he was supposed to find the blonde boy after things settled down, and had only remembered to grab the two in the panic room who were already with him…

He had forgotten a six year old boy alone and defenseless in a house of corpses, and possibly even creatures, and…Annie. Annie was still alive. Her two friends weren't, but she had definitely made it out of the flood of terror alive and unharmed.

And he'd forgotten Armin with her…

"We need to go get Armin!" The boy all but screamed at him, "How could you forget Armin?! We need to go back and get him. We need to go back right _now_!"

But Levi didn't listen to the girl or her screeching brother. He didn't listen to the remorseful mind that threatened to tear him to shreds. All he did was tighten his hold around the children and continue to run. He kept running despite the bones of his legs rattling with guilt, and he kept running despite the girl's incessant tugging on his sleeve and the boy's squirming that almost made him trip and drop them both.

They couldn't afford to turn back even if they wanted to. He had no idea where they were or where the house was anymore, and turning back to aimlessly search for it with what limited food and strength they had was out of the question. He'd left a child for dead; as soul wrecking as that realization was, he wasn't about to turn back and leave two more. So he kept running in hopes they'll run into The Haval sooner or later. If anything, he tried to run faster. Because perhaps he hadn't left the boy for dead. Perhaps, once they reached the river, he could tell the much more experienced –not to mention properly equipped- Scouts they were supposed to meet at the river to go back for Arlert. That was a good plan.

But then when was the boy ever one to help him stick to his plans?

"I'll drop you off and then go back," Levi breathed, "I'll drop you off at the ship, and then I'll go back and get Arlert. I promise"

"But what if it's too late then!" The boy said, "He could already be dead then!"

"And he could already be dead now," He snapped, and it felt like a vertebra snapped in his neck as he said the words, "So shut the fuck up and keep moving."

"Keep going…That's all you do," The boy retorted, "All you do is run away. You're a coward, is what you are! Let. Me. Go! I'll go back. I'm not a coward!"

"No, you're not a coward," Levi began, "You're a fucking idiot. I'll say it one more time; shut up, and keep m-"

The girl's grim reminder had killed whatever life was still inside Levi, but at the same time it seemed to have given her brother a new life altogether. In a second his mind struggled to comprehend, the boy broke free of his hold and fell to the ground with a thud. The girl yelped, and Levi stuttered to a halt, a jolt of panic cracking at the base of his skull as he heard small, fast scuttering slowly fading into the direction they'd come from. His mouth opened before his eyes did, and he could barely recognize his own voice as it rips through the air in time with another crow's scream.

"EREN!"

* * *

Viola! I hope this makes up for my tardiness! And here's a sneak peak of the 'present' chapter after this one:

-"Eren you little shit! You're going to get us all killed!"  
Love,  
Levi Ackerman-


End file.
